We help moms regain their confidence by getting rid of sagginess, wrinkles, and stubborn fat using surgery, laser, Botox and fillers.

Category Archives: General Interest

If you’ve spent any time at all trying to lose weight, you’ll probably look at “plateau” as a dreaded word. Plateaus represent an obstacle in the battle to lose weight. But what is a weight loss plateau?

Information is scarce.

I realized I’ve never actually asked, “what is a weight loss plateau”, so I googled “definition weight loss plateau” and found… nothing. Okay, so obviously google returned hundreds of search results. But they were all focused on breaking through a plateau and resuming weight loss. Call me crazy, but I think looking for a solution to a problem before actually defining the problem is putting the cart before the horse.

Definition of a plateau.

If you’ve been reading my blog, you’ll know that I’ve lost 50 pounds over the past year and a half. I’ve spent the past six months working with an amazing weight coach, Dr. Katrina Ubell, and she offered the first actual definition of a plateau I’ve ever heard. As Katrina defines it, a plateau is:

No weight loss for 2-3 weeks,

while following your plan 100% of the time.

Plateaus are long!

I think so many of us fail to lose weight for a week, or even a few days, and huff in frustration, “Stupid plateau.” But when we ask, what is a weight loss plateau, it’s pretty evident that plateaus are longer than the normal variation in weight loss. It’s super common for weight loss to go in fits and spurts. If you don’t believe me, look at the graph of my weight over a seven month period. Even when I’m losing weight steadily, I’ll stay at the same weight for many days. This is a normal part of the process!

If you aren’t following your plan, you’re not in a plateau.

If you think about it, a plateau is something external. It’s your body no longer losing weight, despite changes in your eating habits. Really it’s your body adjusting to a new weight set-point. So if you’re sneaking bites of dessert, or eating more than your plan allows, a plateau is not the reason you aren’t losing weight. You aren’t losing weight, my friend, because you aren’t following your plan.

I love this definition because it negates the vast majority of the time we think we’re in a plateau. Often we’re not giving our bodies enough time to adjust, or we’re not really following our plan.

So what do you do if you truly are in a plateau? I’ll touch on that in a future post, but for now I’m going to direct you to Katrina’s fabulous podcast on the topic of plateaus. Thank you for joining me today! If you like what you’ve read, enter your email on the right side of the homepage to subscribe to future blog posts!

Dr. Greer is a Plastic Surgeon in Cleveland, OH. Her passion is helping moms regain their self-confidence by getting rid of sogginess, wrinkles, and stubborn fat. You can read more about her at www.greerplastics.com.

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Disclaimer: This webpage is for general information only. It is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical illness, or give any specific medical advice. Because medical knowlege is constantly evolving, I cannot guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of any information in this blog.

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Let me tell you about my recipe for oven roasted chicken. The week before last I went grocery shopping (all by myself- does that count as time to decompress?). And I must confess: I actually bought a whole chicken. They were on sale, and cheaper than rotisserie for a change. Does anyone else wonder why a whole, cooked chicken costs less than an uncooked one? That’s always bothered me somehow. Regardless, the whole roasting chickens were on sale, so I bought one.

I was working at home for the day, which meant I had a little extra time to cook dinner. And I thought the sight of an oven roasted chicken and vegetables might impress my husband a little bit. Should be fine, right?

I’m not a stranger to roasting meat. I’ve done a couple turkeys on Thanksgiving. I can roast a juicy pork loin. My number one tip? The meat thermometer is key. If you cook to 5 degrees under temp, and let it rest for 10 minutes, whatever you’re cooking will hit the right temperature without drying out.

What’s this about trussing?!

So, back to the oven roasted chicken. I looked up roasting instructions to make sure I cooked it to the right temp. And then I saw in the instructions… trussing the bird. Tying the legs together to keep them moist is apparently an integral part of making oven-roasted chicken.

So… we don’t have kitchen twine at my house (does anyone, really?). And this did not seem like the time to substitute duct tape or yarn (my usual go-tos). Paper clips maybe?

But wait… I look at the chicken again, and there’s extra skin around the butt. Two quick slashes with my paring knife, and voila! The chicken is trussed with it’s own skin.

The chicken was moist and delicious. And the legs? Not dried out a bit!. That, my friends, is how you make oven roasted chicken Plastic Surgery style!

Dr. Greer practices in Cleveland, where she helps moms regain confidence by getting rid of wrinkles, sagginess, and stubborn fat using surgery, laser, Botox and fillers. Learn more about her at her practice website.

Disclaimer: This webpage is for general information only. It is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical illness, or give any specific medical advice. Because medical knowlege is constantly evolving, I cannot guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of any information in this blog.

Is permanent hair removal really possible?

Emphatically yes! There are two types of permanent hair removal we do at my practice: laser hair removal, and electrolysis. I will discuss them both today, including how they work, what areas can be treated, what the treatment feels like, and the cost.

Laser hair removal

Laser hair removal (LHR) is the most popular type of permanent hair removal. It can be done on most areas of the body, including the legs, arms, underarm, back, upper lip, and cheeks.

LHR works by damaging the hair follicle. So the hair isn’t actually gone, but it’s so fine and thin you can’t really see it, like the hairs on your cheek.

Hair growth can change with hormones, so you may see increased hair growth with puberty, pregnancy, or menopause. If that occurs, additional treatments may be needed

Laser hair removal is usually sold in a package of treatments. Hair rotates through a growth cycle, and only the actively growing hairs are affected by the laser. Depending on the body area, 6-12 treatments are needed to get a good result. Expect to pay $1500-2000 for a complete treatment package on the legs, or $750-1000 to treat the underarms.

Does laser hair removal hurt?

Yes, LHR is a little uncomfortable. It feels like a flash of heat or maybe a sting. But we apply numbing cream to sensitive areas, such as the upper lip, to help with discomfort. We also have a fan that blows super-cooled air during the treatment; this helps quite a bit as well.

Does laser hair removal work on any hair type?

The laser targets the pigment in the hair follicle, so LHR works best on darker hair. It can be effective on lighter hair, but more treatments may be needed.

LHR can be safely done on all skin types as well.

Electrolysis

There are two instances when laser hair removal is not a good option:

Gray hair. Gray hair has no pigment, so there isn’t anything for the laser to target.

Eyebrows. Eyebrows take so many laser treatments, and the area is so small, that electrolysis is a more effective option.

What is electrolysis?

Electrolysis uses an electrical current to destroy the hair follicle. A very tiny needle is inserted into the base of the hair follicle to apply the current, then the hair is removed with tweezers. Electrolysis only removes one hair at a time, so it’s usually scheduled for specific length of time, such as a 30 minute visit. Treatments are repeated until the entire area has been treated.

Would you like to find out more about permanent hair removal? Download my freebie below!

Disclaimer: This webpage is for general information only. It is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical illness, or give any specific medical advice. Because medical knowlege is constantly evolving, I cannot guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of any information in this blog.

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Coming up with a quick and healthy dinner idea on busy week nights is one of the less fun parts of being a working mom. My husband and I both work full time, so getting healthy food on the table quickly is one of our life goals. We eat a lot of rotisserie chicken because it’s an easy source of ready-to-eat protein that can be used in a multitude of ways. One of my favorite quick and healthy dinner ideas is what I like to call the cheesy chicken skillet.

I created the cheesy chicken skillet one night after rummaging through the nearly empty fridge and freezer in an effort to throw something together for dinner.

Here’s why I love the cheesy chicken skillet:

It takes only about 15 minutes to throw together, which is fantastic when you have ravenous children (and maybe a ravenous husband) rummaging through the cupboards like a pack of wolves.

It’s a balanced meal, with healthy fat, protein, and veggies.

You can customize it to fit your taste.

Ingredients:

A rotisserie chicken (or two if you have a large family)

Two packets of 90 second rice. I love the spanish rice for extra flavor

Frozen corn (about 1/2 a bag)

Frozen peas (about 1/2 a bag)

Shredded cheddar cheese (about 1 cup)

2-3 Tbsp olive oil

Instructions:

Add the olive oil, rice, frozen peas and frozen corn to a skillet. Cook over medium until heated through. Add shredded rotisserie chicken and mix to combine. Cover with shredded cheddar. Turn to low heat and cover until cheese is melted, about five minutes.

The Spanish rice gives this dish a ton of flavor, and is what I used in its original version. I also really like the chicken flavored brown rice as well. You can sub out rice for quinoa, but I would recommend adding some chicken bouillon for flavor (2 cubes would probably be enough). Other options include:

Use two bags of riced cauliflower instead of rice, and swap the frozen corn and peas for a broccoli and carrots if you want a lower carb option.

Swap out the peas for a can of black beans (drained and rinsed) and use pepper jack cheese for a Mexican cheesy chicken skillet.

For an Italian version used canned diced tomatoes and diced onion for the veggie. Add basil and oregano to taste, then cover with mozzarella.

There are so many ways to change up this quick and healthy dinner idea, you can see why it’s a favorite at our house! Have some other options? I would love to hear them in the comments!

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Disclaimer: This webpage is for general information only. It is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical illness, or give any specific medical advice. Because medical knowlege is constantly evolving, I cannot guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of any information in this blog.

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How do you pick the best plastic surgeon for you?

Back when I was a kid, you didn’t have to worry about picking the best plastic surgeon, because you didn’t really gave a choice, as we only had one option in a 100 mile radius. Now I live in Cleveland, and last time I checked, there were over 50 plastic surgeons within only 50 miles. Online reviews and sites like Angie’s List certainly give you some information. Who your insurance covers will narrow things down as well.

Courtesy of Office.com

Below are my top 5 tips for choosing the best plastic surgeon, or really any type of surgeon. Please notice that price is not anywhere on this list- I’ve found that unless you’re going someone who has really become famous for one particular type of procedure, Plastic Surgeons tend to price themselves pretty similarly within a given market. And board certification is also not on this list- that is a complicated topic which I plan to write a dedicated post on later. But if you would like to find a board certified plastic surgeon in the meantime, you can search for one at the American Society for Plastic Surgery (ASPS) website.

Five tips to find the best plastic surgeon to fit your needs:

1) Make sure you feel comfortable with the doctor. Sometimes your personalities don’t jive, or sometimes you just get a bad vibe. A surgeon is someone you’re entrusting your health, and your physical appearance to, and it’s critical that you feel comfortable sharing your worries and concerns with this person. So a doctor could have fantastic technical skills and get great results, but she won’t be the best plastic surgeon for you if your personalities aren’t a good fit.

2) Ask how hard it is to get in touch with your doctor if you have a concern. If you’re worried about something in the middle of the night after surgery, who do you call? And more importantly, who will you end up talking to on the other end of the line? It’s good to know if the doctor shares the duty of answering midnight calls with other physicians in his or her office, because you may end up talking to someone only vaguely familiar with your history and problems.

3) How often will the surgeon see you after your surgery or procedure, and for how long? Will the frequency of visits leave you feeling well taken care of?

4) Does your surgeon have experience in the type of procedure you want? Ask how many he or she has done, and don’t be shy about asking to see pictures.

5) Finally, does your surgeon explain things in a way you can understand? Medicine can get very technical, and your ability to make good decisions about your health care is completely dependent on how well you understand what’s going on. Some doctors are great at explaining things, others not so much. The best plastic surgeon for you will be able to explain any complications or bumps in the road in language you can understand.

Disclaimer: This webpage is for general information only. It is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical illness, or give any specific medical advice. Because medical knowlege is constantly evolving, I cannot guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of any information in this blog.

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Turkey day is nearly upon us. And like many, I’ve been more reflective this week of the things I’m thankful for. But I have to ask: why do we only focus our energy looking for the positive one day a year? Did you know there are many benefits to being thankful each and every day?

I’ve been reading The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor, a Harvard psychologist who studies happiness. It turns out that happy people are more successful. This is in contrast to the conclusion many of us make, which is that successful people are more happy.

So why does happiness lead to success? People who are happier have an advantage when it comes to assessing new situations. They look for the good, and often see opportunities that are missed by the more pessimistic among us. Our brains get very good at spotting patterns. So if you always look for the worst in every situation, your brain will skip right over a possible advantage. But the good news is happiness can be learned. If you want to teach your brain to find good things, look for good things in your every day life. One recommendation the author makes is to name three things you are happy about (or grateful for) every day, no matter how small. Today I am grateful for:

Coffee with heavy cream.

My kids making each other laugh over breakfast.

Getting to talk with my mom on the phone.

So why wait until Thursday? Start right now and leave me a message in the comments: What are you thankful for?

Disclaimer: This webpage is for general information only. It is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical illness, or give any specific medical advice. Because medical knowlege is constantly evolving, I cannot guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of any information in this blog.

Disclaimer: This webpage is for general information only. It is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical illness, or give any specific medical advice. Because medical knowlege is constantly evolving, I cannot guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of any information in this blog.